If managerial intent counts for anything, this demolition derby will definitely be enlivened by passages of dazzling derring-do.

Should the risk takers on either side be given freedom to rise above the clattering clamour, we might even end the day reflecting on a great game of football.

Yes, plenty will still tell you that Old Firm day is too intense an occasion for free-spirited ball players taking flight on the wing. The return of this fixture to the league schedules is guaranteed to produce plenty of chatter about ‘winning battles’ and ‘earning the right to play.’

James Forrest has completely changed from the disheartened figure he cut in pre-season

Duly noted. But look at the philosophies of the opposing managers, each of whom takes great pride in playing with width, pace, flair and intent. Acknowledge, too, the back-line vulnerabilities that might persuade both Mark Warburton and Brendan Rodgers to consider attack as the safest form of defence.

Beyond even those factors, consider the temptation presented to each manager in the shape of wingers and ball players who can tear defenders to ribbons, then tie those ribbons into knots – before playing a game-changing pass.

From a rejuvenated James Forrest to the continued trickery of Barrie McKay, the goal threat of Scott Sinclair or the play-making vision of Harry Forrester, Celtic and Rangers both have guys who can stand a game on its head.

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Former Scotland and Chelsea winger Pat Nevin sees definite potential for gleeful chaos at Celtic Park on Saturday, given the options available to both coaching staffs.

‘It’s a tough one to call, with regard to who will be the most dangerous player on the park,’ Nevin told Sportsmail. ‘If Leigh Griffiths is fit, he’s the obvious one, because he scores the goals.

‘But it’s interesting you should ask about the wide players because, quite often amid the hurly-burly of these 100-mile-an-hour matches, these are the guys who get left out. It used to drive me nuts.

Playmaker Barrie McKay has simply picked up where he left off last year

‘Too often people were too busy chasing, harrying and hustling. If you were a wide player, you spent most of the game chasing back, covering in front of your full-back, that sort of thing.

‘Oddly enough, this one might be different. Purely because of the managers. They both want to play football, both want to get the ball down. Neither has huge Old Firm experience – so they’ll both want their teams to go and play good football, which means getting wide when they can.

‘Now, the mayhem may take over. But there *is* a chance for us to see a really good game.’

Such optimism is founded on what Nevin, along with anyone else watching closely enough, has seen this season so far. At Celtic, Forrest has completely changed from the disheartened figure he cut in pre-season, re-emerging as a player who can make and take chances.

Across the city at Ibrox, McKay – name-checked for having impressed Scotland boss Gordon Strachan in training, despite not featuring in Sunday night’s thrashing of Malta - has simply picked up where he left off last year.

Nevin said: ‘I’m particularly excited by James Forrest just now. Apart from the skill, I think he’s got a really good football brain.

The speed and scoring intent of Scott Sinclair looks to be key for the Hoops

‘There is a great feeling in football when, if you know your manager rates you and values what you can do, you don’t panic every time you get the ball and think: “Oh my God, I need to beat three players and create something, score a goal – or I’m stuffed.”

‘When you know your manager understands what you’re trying to do - and will give you opportunities because he knows that, eventually, they’ll pay off - that lifts any pressure.

‘That is clearly the effect Brendan is having on James. It will still be hard for him to stay in the Celtic team every week because they have options – and Brendan can adapt his style and system for different games.

‘In the wider sense, that is maybe the big difference between the two teams – the adaptability of Celtic compared to Rangers. That maybe gives them a wee edge.

‘With Barrie McKay, you are talking about that game intelligence again – and he maybe even has more than anyone. He really is a clever, clever player.

‘He is already pretty special and, in time, he’s going to be a player who lights up the Scottish game for a long, long time.

‘Every time I see him, he’s the one playing with his head up. Even among skilful players, sometimes their head is a wee bit down when they’re dribbling.

Harry Forrester is another positive-minded player who Celtic will have to watch

‘But Barrie has so much quality that he doesn’t need to look at the ball. He knows he’s got it under control, so he can look up and pick a pass.

‘He is hugely important to Rangers. There are a few good players at Ibrox, especially in the wide areas – starting with the full-backs.

‘So, although we talk about Barrie as a winger, he has the intelligence to move off the line, play a little bit more central now and again, create space and then flick in the full-backs running beyond him.

‘Maybe that is his extra special quality on top of it all, that he’s got players around him who he uses brilliantly. His final ball, his defence-splitting ball, when he’s actually done that trick is among the best we’ ve seen in a long while.’

Throw in the speed and scoring intent of Sinclair, who has scored four in his first half dozen appearances for Celtic, plus the way in which Forrester seems to find a path through the tightest of defences, and there is serious potential for fireworks.

‘Scott Sinclair is not a classic touchline-hugging winger but that’s not a bad thing,’ said Nevin. ‘He’s very direct, loads of pace – and he scores goals. That makes him a very dangerous player against any opposition.

‘Harry Forrester is one, too. You can pick a load of positive-minded players on both sides.

‘I would quite like to see some of these Rangers players performing at this level for longer before making a final judgement. I’m excited about them right now but, although some of them played against Celtic in the Scottish Cup, that was one of the strangest games I’d ever seen in my life.

‘This is really their biggest test. Can they really live with Celtic? There is no doubt they are technically good enough – someone like Harry certainly is. But we’ll see how they cope.

‘The one result we don’t expect is a 0-0. I expect both teams to go and absolutely attack this game.

‘I can’t see either manager sitting back to accept a draw. Just looking at the game, you might think Rangers would lean towards that a wee bit – but it’s just not Mark Warburton’s style.’

Neither Warburton nor Rodgers would, given any other option, settle for just lumping it forward and winning second balls. With the weapons they have at their disposal, perhaps it’s not entirely fanciful to imagine this resumption of old hostilities will produce a shoot-out of the most entertaining kind.